Hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) protocol is utilized to ensure that messages are sent reliably from one node to another node in a network. For example, HARQ protocol is used to transmit data between a radio access network (RAN) and a user equipment (UE) or a customer premise equipment (CPE) of a telecommunications network. HARQ designs may impose latency requirements based on where a HARQ-protocol terminating node is located in the RAN (e.g. in a Centralized Unit (CU) location or in a distributed unit (DU) or remote radio head (RRH) location). The latency requirements may have an impact on connections between the core network and the RRH or another type of distributed base station.